R. A. GRAHAM, A. E. LEE,AND R. L. MEYER
The Creation of a New Technical Information Center for a Diversified Chemical Corporation* RONALD A. GRAHAM, ARTHUR E. LEE, and ROGER L. MEYER Celanese Research Company, Box 1000, Summit, N. J. 07901 Received February 14, 1968
The new Technical Information Center was laid out to integrate all current and planned technical information services in a single, easily accessible facility. The 9000square foot Center, completed early in 1968, houses a modern research library with a capacity of 40,000 volumes, mechanized and miniaturized information processing systems, and personnel specializing in patent information, internal technical information, literature searching, current awareness and alerting services, and translation services. Space is provided to meet projected requirements over the next 15 years, with provision for subsequent expansion to a n additional floor.
Celanese Corporation is a diversified, multinational chemical corporation, with a broad line of petrochemicals, fibers, plastics, paints and coatings, and petroleum and forest products. The Corporation and its affiliates operate 100 plants with 50,000 employees in the United States and 25 other countries. I t functions through operating companies (Figure l ) ,the principal ones being the Celanese Fibers Company, Celanese Chemical Company, Celanese Plastics Company, Celanese Coatings Company, and Champlin Petroleum Company. The central R&D organization of the Corporation is Celanese Research Company, located in Summit, N. J., 25 miles west of New York City. This company, based on existing laboratory facilities in Summit, was established as a corporate entity in 1966 to stimulate internal growth by emphasizing research a t the corporate level. The Research Company is responsible for implementing corporate programs for the development of products in areas new to Celanese, for planning and executing a portion of the research sponsored by the operating companies, and for conducting government-funded R&D. The activities a t Celanese Research Company include exploratory and applied research, application and product development, and process design and development. Covered are such areas as polymer chemistry, organic synthesis, plastics and fibers, and the chemical engineering of polymer, plastic and fiber processes. Figure 2 shows the present organization of the Research Company. When the Research Company was established as an entity in 1966, it became apparent that its plans for growth and diversification required a level of technical information support substantially greater than could be provided with existing facilities. This led to the decision to proceed promptly with the design and construction of a Technical Information Center a t the Summit central research laboratories. ‘Presented before the Division of Chemical Literature Symposium on Technical Information Facilities. 155th Kational Meeting of the American Chemical Society, San Francisco. Calif., April 1, 1968.
60
1
CELANESE CORWRATION
---
I
I
I CORPORATE DEVELOPMENT AND AOMlNlSTRATlON
PETROLEUM GROUP
1
Fl0ERS GRWP
CELANESE RESEARCH COMPANY
Fl0ER
PLASTICS COMPANY
I
I
‘
PONTIAC REFINING CORPORATION
I
Figure 1. Celanese Corporation simplified organizational structure
DETERMINATION OF NEEDS
Our first step in creating the new Technical Information Center was to determine the needs of the Research Company for information services for the next 15 years. This was a complex operation which involved consideration of many parameters, but we believed that careful effort a t this stage would prevent costly mistakes and irritating delays in the planning, design, and implementation stages. We based our determination of needs on four essential premises: 1. Needs must be established by communication with all levels of users. 2. Needs must be established in terms of specific Company conditions. 3. Needs must be determined without preconceived budgetary constraints.
JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL DOCUMENTATION, VOL. 8, No. 2, MAY1968
CREATION OF A NEWTECHNICAL INFORMATION CENTER
I
I+]
I
TECHNOLOGICAL EVALUATION I I
1
I
I
MATERIALS SCIENCE DEPARTMENT
PLASTICS, CHEMICALS 8 COATINGS DEPPRTMENT
I
I FIBER RESEARCH DEPARTMENT
I
ENGINEERING AND MATH RESEARCH
1
~
'I'
_-_-------
1
I EXPLORATORY
PLASTICS
LABORATORY
~
FIBER MATERIALS
'I'
H
TECHNICAL INFORMATION
~
'I'
H 'I
DESIGN. ENGINEERING AND MAINTENANCE
,
PURCHASING AND STORES
EXPLORATORY RESEARCH
1
ACCOUNTING
LABoRAToFWANo OFFICE SERVICES
1
Figure 2. Celanese Research Company, Summit, N. J.
4. Needs can best be optimized by placing the collection and implementation of necessarily subjective views of all groups involved under the over-all guidance of a person having experience in each of the areas involved as well as a broad range of company responsibilities.
I t is appropriate to elaborate on these four premises since they are such positive forces in the whole operation of creating a Technical Information Center. First of all, communications on needs must be multidirectional and multilevel. The ideas of the professional research staff, the technical information staff, and all levels of users must be sought out and gathered, a process which should take place in informal discussions as well as formally in meetings. We used every opportunity for discussionin the cafeteria, during coffee breaks, etc.-to learn as much as possible about users' needs and desires. For example, to crystallize opinions, two different microreaderprinters were brought in for testing side-by-side, and users' evaluations were obtained orally and by questionnaire. And a mock-up of a study carrel was also mounted in the old library for evaluation by users, orally and by questionnaire. We sought every possible opportunityconventional or unconventional-to communicate with the users. Secondly, the specific needs of the company, with its unique environment, objectives, and organizational structure, must be a major consideration. While some project planners visit other facilities before determining their own needs, we believe that this is putting the cart before the horse. Such visits are very useful and necessary, but more so after one's own needs have been determined. Otherwise, these visits can generate prejudices unrelated to specific company needs. I n our opinion, this same philosophy applies to consulting the literature ', 2, 3s ', 6 ,. consolidation of one's own ideas should precede literature consultation. Thirdly, needs were determined independently of any initial consideration of available funds. We considered this to be very important in establishing a sound basis for the design of an information center capable of handling
